In an engaging matchup, the Arkansas Razorbacks found themselves leading the South Carolina Gamecocks 50-38 at halftime. The first half closed without any stoppages in the final 4:53, allowing both teams to keep up the fast pace of play. After a timeout from South Carolina’s John Calipari, the Razorbacks were able to reestablish a 16-point lead before the Gamecocks trimmed it down to 10, only for Arkansas’ Darius Acuff to finish the half with a breakaway dunk.
Earlier in the half, Arkansas held a steady lead of up to 13 points, aided by a solid shooting performance, going 12 of 27 from the field. Elijah Strong of the Gamecocks kept his team within striking distance with a 5-0 run that sparked a timeout from Calipari. Arkansas’ Nick Pringle, against his former team, made a significant impact with 9 points and 4 rebounds in the early stages.
The game kicked off with a swift tempo favoring Arkansas, as they executed several impressive plays, including dunks from Karter Knox and Malique Ewin, which prompted South Carolina to call an early timeout. Arkansas started strong despite a rough 1 for 6 shooting from beyond the arc, converting 7 of their first 15 shots.
As the two teams prepared to face off at Bud Walton Arena, Arkansas entered the game ranked 17th with a season record of 12-4 and a desire to bounce back after a tough loss to Auburn. Meanwhile, South Carolina came into the match at 10-6, looking to build on their sole conference win against LSU, while hoping to overcome defeats to ranked opponents Vanderbilt and Georgia.
There was also a notable storyline surrounding Karter Knox, who was dealing with a hip pointer injury, and his brother Kobe Knox, a senior at South Carolina who has been performing consistently for the Gamecocks.
As the second half approaches, Arkansas looks to maintain their momentum, and if they can continue to control the game’s pace, they have a good chance of securing a victory at home.